“I’ll say this,” Branch told James Walker of ESPN.com. “Tarvaris Jackson is one of the toughest competitors I’ve seen out there. When he played when I was in Seattle, the guy was hurt in more than half the games and he kept playing. He had us winning games, too. We were in every single game. It’s not like we ever got blew out.

“It was a rebuilding process for Seattle. So Jackson didn’t have quite the tools Seattle had last year. But the guy is tough as nails, smart and has a cannon for an arm. Buffalo fans should definitely realize that they got some stature back there.”

So he didn't have Lynch, Baldwin, Tate, Rice and Miller? Not to mention 7 years in the same system with the same OC and bringing his #1 receiver with him. Hmm, seems to me like he had every opportunity to succeed, even a defense that was the sole reason we were in every single game.

Gotta give Branch props for supporting a previous team mate over a previous division rival but it should come with a grain of salt. Jackson is now back in the same position he was last year with Seattle. If the Bills draft a QB and he shows promise, Jackson will be gone/released before the start of the season. Only difference is the Bills won't find a team dumb enough to give up draft picks for him.

I almost feel bad for Jacksonfan and Zanary, assuming they are not the same person.

Last edited by RichNhansom on Sun Apr 07, 2013 9:42 am, edited 1 time in total.

I agree with Branch, TJack had a bum rep before he even took a snap as a Seahawk.

TJack was fine IMO, I can only think of two games where he cost us, Dallas where he was just bad, and the Xmas Eve game where he screwed up in the final drive (Everyone does that eventually).

The only thing that bothered me about TJack is he hung in the pocket WAYYYY too long waiting for a receiver to get open, we know he has wheels and he didn't use 'em, that was the most frustrating part about TJacks game for me. But I like the dude, and hope nothing but the best for him.

No, not at all. But, if you want to join my rank as "lazy and uneducated", keep doing offensive analysis, sans any consideration for line play. I'll finally be able to retire in peace, knowing there's someone even better at it than me.

I felt kicked in the guts when we got Jackson. But I totally respected him for being a warrior out there after the season was finished. I hope Jackson improves and does well enough to keep the job in Buffalo. He may not be an elite QB, but what he showed in Seattle was an improvement over what he showed in Minnie. Combined with the guts he showed playing with an injury, he earned a spot as an underdog I root for.

Glad I'm rooting for him to do well in Buffalo, not in Seattle however haha.

Richard Sherman doesn't just wanna get in your head, he wants to build a vacation home there.

R. Sherman: "I don't want to be an island. I want to be a tourist attraction. You come, I take your money & you go."

pe, you have your opinions and I have mine. Make all the excuses you want but he was behind one of the best O-lines in the league with the Vikings while handing off to AP and throwing to Rice. Same OC too. Putting all the blame on our O-line is a little lazy imo.

Uneducated is ignoring his history. In fact ignoring is the basis of ignorance so give me a break because I don't believe the guy is/was or will ever be a good NFL QB and he gets more than enough support from guys like Zanary, Jacksonfan, Marlon and more. If it weren't for those guys I really don't think I would have anything against him but for the sake of balance I feel obligated from time to time to express my opinion just like you. At least my opinion is based on a realistic look at his history and not just because he was a Seahawk at one time.

I look at Jackson as a great sales job by our FO. They got some to buy in even to the point of getting a draft pick for him but I said it in December the year he was here, if we grab a FA and draft a rookie, he won't make the 53 and now he is in that same situation. Kolb will easily beat him out and if the Bills draft a QB that shows promise, he won't be on their 53 either. His only hope is the Bills don't get their QB but I suspect they will use their first pick on Smith or Barkley and if they do then Jackson will be released and the bills won't get any pick from someone else.

TJ is a fine backup and toughed out a 7-9 season. 7-8, really, as you saw what happened when Whitehurst replaced him in the Browns game.

He just cannot read a defense under any type of pressure, and so he is not a long-term starter in the league. You forget that he went 11-5 in Minnesota behind that line - and in a competitive division, too. But yeah, our OL was a sieve at that point. Marshawn Lynch was getting hit behind or at the LOS with regularity.

I like him as a backup, and I would take him over Portis or any of the other four QBs coming to visit here next week.

"If given the opportunity without fear of incarceration, I would honestly beat the living **** out of Jerry Rice."

Smelly McUgly wrote:TJ is a fine backup and toughed out a 7-9 season. 7-8, really, as you saw what happened when Whitehurst replaced him in the Browns game.

He just cannot read a defense under any type of pressure, and so he is not a long-term starter in the league. You forget that he went 11-5 in Minnesota behind that line - and in a competitive division, too. But yeah, our OL was a sieve at that point. Marshawn Lynch was getting hit behind or at the LOS with regularity.

I like him as a backup, and I would take him over Portis or any of the other four QBs coming to visit here next week.

Well lets be honest at least. If your going to count Whitehurst's loss to the Browns then you should also give him credit for the only come from behind win of the season against NY. So that would make him 6-8. That also doesn't factor in the only game Lynch didn't play was the Browns game and we had a phantom penalty on a return that negated a TD. Thanks again Mike Carey.

I also checked his history to see if I missed something but I don't see any 11 win seasons. His best year was 2007 when he played 12 games but from my count only gets credit for 5 or 6 of the wins as as some of those were won when he wasn't playing in a season they went 8-8. In fact the only season they won 11 games with him on the roster was when Favre was the starter.

Smelly McUgly wrote:TJ is a fine backup and toughed out a 7-9 season. 7-8, really, as you saw what happened when Whitehurst replaced him in the Browns game.

He just cannot read a defense under any type of pressure, and so he is not a long-term starter in the league. You forget that he went 11-5 in Minnesota behind that line - and in a competitive division, too. But yeah, our OL was a sieve at that point. Marshawn Lynch was getting hit behind or at the LOS with regularity.

I like him as a backup, and I would take him over Portis or any of the other four QBs coming to visit here next week.

Well lets be honest at least. If your going to count Whitehurst's loss to the Browns then you should also give him credit for the only come from behind win of the season against NY. So that would make him 6-8. That also doesn't factor in the only game Lynch didn't play was the Browns game and we had a phantom penalty on a return that negated a TD. Thanks again Mike Carey.

I also checked his history to see if I missed something but I don't see any 11 win seasons. His best year was 2007 when he played 12 games but from my count only gets credit for 5 or 6 of the wins as as some of those were won when he wasn't playing in a season they went 8-8. In fact the only season they won 11 games with him on the roster was when Favre was the starter.

Haters gonna hate. Plain and simple. T-Jack gets pummeled round here because he replaced a 7-9 Hass that was responsible for us getting blown out in many cases. Put up stats all you want. I have eyeballs. Is T-Jack a Super Bowl QB? No. I would gladly take him over any of the backups being discussed.

I'm sorry, I got my numbers mixed up. Still, he went 8-4 as a starter in his second year and has generally played about .500 ball in his career as a starter, if I recall correctly.

I'm not saying that he is great. I just think that, as far as quarterbacks go, there aren't that many backups over him that I would feel okay with coming into the game if Russell Wilson went down. Kirk Cousins, Kyle Orton, and that's all I can think of (assuming that Matt Flynn is going to be starting in Oakland, or I'd take him over TJ too).

I think he can beat Kevin Kolb out and be a fine bridge QB.

"If given the opportunity without fear of incarceration, I would honestly beat the living **** out of Jerry Rice."

Again, your giving him credit for games he didn't even play in. The team went 8-8 his second year. That year he started 12 games and was the starter for 6 wins. I'm not sure why some are so compelled to stretch the truth to give him extra credit. The guy is who we thought he was before he arrived. Everyone freaked out when they heard he was coming here to be our starter and for good reason. Some have changed their mind and that's fine but the numbers don't add up and neither does the eyeball test if your eyes are open.

I would be happy to make a sig bet or something else that he won't beat out Kolb.

To be honest I almost want him to win the starting job. The guy has been a 500 QB because he has been on stacked teams that won most of his games in spite of his lack of production. Let him start on a team like the Bills and they would be lucky to win three games with an easy schedule. Like it or not the majority of his wins came from the supporting cast around him and not because he had a great game. Not trying to wish the Bills bad ill but it would sure answer some of the questions that float around here.

I've never seen people get so invested in wanting to prove that a player isn't all that good. As many mediocre players as have existed in this league I've never seen it. It's crazy. What is so wrong about rooting for a guy and hoping the best for him? I just don't get it.

RichNhansom wrote:Again, your giving him credit for games he didn't even play in. The team went 8-8 his second year. That year he started 12 games and was the starter for 6 wins. I'm not sure why some are so compelled to stretch the truth to give him extra credit. The guy is who we thought he was before he arrived. Everyone freaked out when they heard he was coming here to be our starter and for good reason. Some have changed their mind and that's fine but the numbers don't add up and neither does the eyeball test if your eyes are open.

I would be happy to make a sig bet or something else that he won't beat out Kolb.

No, I'm not. I am almost dead sure that he went 8-4 as the starter that year. I read it in two places when I went to check up on the facts (and neither of those places were Wikipedia).

You are really fired up about your TJ hate.

"If given the opportunity without fear of incarceration, I would honestly beat the living **** out of Jerry Rice."

That's pretty funny that it can only be about hate. The problem is your counting wins like week 9 against San Diego when Jackson was hurt in the 2nd quarter leaving the game 6-12 for 63 yards as a win. Pretty much like you counted the NY game against Seattle when Whitehurst came in the game trailing and won the game. They are only wins if you really want them to be.

"We don't even need your stupid a-- that much. We can win Super Bowls with retired Kerry f------- Collins right now, and you want to be the highest paid player of all-time? F--- you." - Tical21 to Russell Wilson, 6/30/15

I am convinced that Tarvaris slept with a couple of our posters wives or daughters with the way some of them simply can not help themselves but tear him down anytime his name appears in our forum. I still have each of those guys on my foe list for that alone.

Branch said he was a tough guy with a cannon for an arm. What about that has RnH so pissy? We are all well aware of the torch he carried for Mattie H, maybe every one of his posts about TJ should be prefaced with that. Also, TJ was the best QB in Buffalo last year, they could have used his toughness.

TJ has a certain magical ability to make a bad team .500, and to make a good team .500 too. He had trouble making fast enough reads, and the game was too fast, but he wasn't awful either. But most of all, in a really bad situation, brought in to be a tackling dummy behind a LG that would be retired a year later, a new center, two rookies, and then add to that the fact that the O-line was a MASH unit, TJ did damn good. And did it without bitching. He provided leadership in the face of adversity. We laud Wilson's intangibles, well, TJ had intangibles too.

Woah, woah, woah. Bite your tongue, sir. I actually just washed my Tarvaris Jackson Authentic and I'm pretty sure that Zeb is like a North Korean with 7 plaques and shrines around his house dedicated to his brave hero. Polishing them every few minutes.

Seriously though, I've got respect for the dude. My buddy is a Bills fan and I saw him yesterday and he was telling me how most Bills fans prefer Kolb to Jackson at this point. Jackson's just got a lousy reputation around the league but he's really not THAT bad. Like you said Scott (e), he's not that good either. But he's a perfectly fine "bridge the gap" type QB until the Bills (if they ever do) find their franchise QB. Kolb is making more money, and the Bills aren't as cutting edge/ballsy as Seattle and he might get the job because of that. If he gets injured again though, Jackson might be able to do a half-decent job with CJ Spiller, Fred Jackson, and Stevie Johnson.